Историческая литература
Различные книги в жанре Историческая литератураTales of Foreign Settlements in Japan
Here are twenty-five tales about the Foreign Settlements or Concessions in Japan following the opening of the country to foreign trade in 1859, and an additional ten strange stories that revoke around those times. The tales are historically accurate, sociologically significant and, most important of all, eminently readable.These Tales of Foreign Settlements in Japan are the product of years of painstaking and scholarly research by a writer who is a business man and a recognized authority on the history of the Foreign Concessions in Japan, a man who has resided here for over thirty-five years.
Art of War
Sun Tzu's <i>The Art of War</i> is still one of the world's most influential treatises on strategic thought. Applicable everywhere from the boardroom to the bedroom, from the playing field to the battlefield, its wisdom has never been more highly regarded. <br><br>Now available in its complete form, including the Chinese characters and English text, this essential examination of the art of strategic thinking features extensive commentary and an insightful historical introduction written by Lionel Giles, its original translator. <br><br>This new edition includes an all-new introduction by the scholar of ancient Chinese literature, John Minford.
Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan
This is a complete, two-volume set of one of the greatest books of 19th century Japanese history and culture. Though Lafcadio Hearn went on to write a dozen more books on Japan, this collection of first impressions remains his most popular. Among the reasons is that here, more than anywhere else, the author most vividly captured a place that so affected him that he stayed for the rest of his life. The modern reader can still, through these pages, experience that «first charm of Japan, intangible and volatile as a perfume.» Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan combines two volumes of a work that first appeared in 1894. In the pages of this book are the customs, the superstitions, the charming scenery, the revelations of Japanese character, and all the other elements that Lafcadio Hearn found so bewitching. Here, for example, are essays on such subjects as the Japanese garden, the household shrine, the festivals, and the bewildering Japanese smile—all aspects of Japanese life that have endured in spite of the changes that have taken place during the modernization of Japan. The Japanese character and the Japanese tradition are still fundamentally the same as Hearn found them to be, and for this reason, his writing is still extremely revealing to modern readers. This edition also contains a new foreword by noted writer and examiner of Japanese culture Donnie Richie that puts Lafcadio Hearn and his classic works into perspective for readers just discovering Hearn's writing for the first time.
Japan the Toothless Tiger
East Asia: the world's most dangerous flash point brought to life by a true insider.Once a political and economic powerhouse, Japan now finds herself severely weakened and in a very troubling situation with a belligerent and expansionist China on one side and a still–influential but distant and waning America on the other. Declan Hayes draws on his experiences teaching in Japan for over a decade at Tokyo’s Sophia University to give an insider’s perspective on this topic, placing the Pacific situation in a political context. Hemmed in by mounting tensions with China over the Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands and facing nuclear threats from North Korea, what should Japan do? Should she rearm? Should she get the bomb? What are the consequences of rearming, or not rearming?In this second edition, Professor Hayes includes a preface with updates about recent developments in Asia. As the permanent interests of China and Japan, East Asia’s main protagonists, do not and cannot change, Japan: The Toothless Tiger is even more relevant now than when it was first published.
Ancient Hawaiian Civilization
Ancient Hawaiian Civilization takes us back to Hawaii's « stone age,» when there wasn't an alphabet, numbering system, or other civilized distinctions as we know them. Still rules of living, modes, and customs permitted large numbers of people to live healthfully and happily throughout the islands.This fascinating history of Hawaii is « must» reading for anyone who has been, wants to go, or lives in America 's 50th State. This book authoritatively introduces the general reader to what was once a golden era of Hawaiian history and culture, the time when the islands were strictly Hawaiian Hawaii. Though the islands are almost completely westernized today, many facets from this golden age remain to make America's 50th State a « living laboratory» for the cultural and social study of racial migration and assimilation. This volume represents the knowledge and experience of no less than 16 scholars.The combined areas of specialization by no less than 16 authors have been carefully selected and grouped to make up this volume. Together, the authors comprise a truly formidable forum of Hawaiian thought and learning. Ethnologists, geologists, zoologists, and medical doctors are but a few of the areas of specialization represented in these pages.
Polynesian Family System in Ka-U Hawaii
This classic book on Hawaiian families and culture is an essential text for anyone interested in pre-American Hawaii.The Polynesian Family System in Ka-'U, Hawai'i is a collaboration of the distinguished scholars Dr. Mary Puku and Dr. E.S. Craighill Handy. It provides us with this fascinating review of traditional Hawaiian life. Manners and customs relating to birth, death, marriage, sexual practices, religious beliefs, and family relationship are all clearly described. The main sources of information were elderly Hawaiian informants of then remote Kacu district of the island of Hawaii.This Hawaiian history and culture book provides professional scholars and laymen a like with an unrivaled picture of traditional Hawaiian society. Based on original work in the field with living Hawaiians, it combines research into the literature by two authors of unusual qualifications with field work conducted under unique circumstances. This edition will be welcomed by librarians, anthropologists, and indeed all who have a serious interest in Polynesian life.
Ninja Weapons
This informative martial arts book, <i>Ninja Weapons</i> introduces the exciting and deadly secrets of ninjutsu—the chain and the <i>shuriken</i>.<br><br>The Masaki school of chain fighting was developed in the feudal society of the early eighteenth century by a swordsman-sentry in Edo (Tokyo) Castle. Feeling that the shedding of blood in such a hallowed place would be disgraceful, he devised the combat use of the weighted chain. Even the name he gave to the art proves the trust he placed in its effectiveness—<i>manrikigusari</i> (chain with the power of ten thousand).<br><br>The equally devastating art of <i>shuriken</i>, the throwing of metal stars and spikes, evolved shortly after <i>manrikigusari</i>. The easily concealed <i>shuriken</i> soon became known as an extremely effective weapon for both shinobi and samurai warriors. Included are «The Samurai Creed,» various techniques, the history of the arts and over 100 black and white photos and illustrations.
Tales of Old Japan
"One of the first and in many ways still one of the best books on Japan." —The Japan TimesFirst published in 1871, Tales of Old Japan has withstood the test of time and taken its place as one of the classic volumes of Japanese literature.The book presents a broad cross section of Japanese prose—historical tales like the famous story of the Forty–seven Ronin; nonfiction reporting on marriage, funerals and the author's gory eyewitness account of hara–kiri; fairy tales and stories of superstition featuring vampire cats and magic foxes; even three sermons written by a priest belonging to the Shingaku sect, which professes to combine Buddhist, Confucian and Shinto teachings. The books thirty–three chapters cover practically every sector of Japanese life. Thirty–one reproductions of woodblock prints illustrate the various tales and essays.Author Robert Louis Stevenson cited Tales of Old Japan in his essay «Books Which Have Influenced Me.» Over a hundred years have passed since Stevenson justly praised A.B. Mitford's book, but his work remains an important and fascinating sourcebook on Japan and the Japanese.
Little Songs of Geisha
A fascinating look into the world of the Geisha through the 400-year-old art of Ko-Uta, the traditional song form sung to three-stringed shamisen music. It is a vivid evocation of the romanticism of feudal Japan.Traditional Japanese ko–uta are the musical embodiment of the geisha in the intoxicating «flower and willow world.» Literally, these are «little songs» sung by a geisha who accompanies herself on the three–stringed shamisen. Liza Dalby, fully trained in the arts of the geisha and fluent in Japanese, is a magnificent guide who brings alive the spirit of this delightful musical form.Little Songs of the Geisha presents beautiful calligraphy and vivid translations of twenty–five ko–uta, to which Liza Dalby adds lively explanatory notes illuminating the puns and Japanese literary devices which might otherwise elude the Western reader. To draw out the fullest essence of the floating world, Little Songs of the Geisha offers an appendix with traditional musical notations for the shamisen as well as in standard Western form.
New Lao Tzu
A new interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, this book is a celebration of the Way of Harmony and Balance. Ray Grigg transforms what has been traditionally called the Tao Te Ching, what he calls the Lao Tzu, from the mysterious to the meaningful. He accomplishes this by abandoning the historical convention of a literal reading of the Chinese texts. The result is a poetic expression of ancient wisdom in a language that readers can approach directly. The wisdom of the Lao Tzu rests in its ability to tease confusion into insight that is beyond the confinement of intellectual understanding. Beautifully illustrated with ink drawings by Bill Gaetz, The New Lao Tzu demonstrates that living the wisdom of the Lao Tzu requires more instinct than reason, more intuition than argument.